Messerschmitt 3 wheeler

[Guest vas930]

I am looking to buy and resto a messerschmitt 3 wheeler.

I love these things.

Has anyone ever had a drive or know anyone with one?

If so what was it like.

[jnr356]

yeah,know a guy with one

i'll grab his no. ,he's a top bloke reckon he'll have the answers you need

[Guest vas930]

Thanks, Jnr.

hehe

A few more pics.

[D-banger]

Hey Vas,

Seen this one? I am sue you could get a test drive on your next trip to Sydney...

1958 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabriolet for sale

[Guest vas930]

WOW.

That thing is a honey.

Thanks Doug.

For me, the fun is in the restoration.

Plus, I dont want to spend that much.

Looking for something I can restore over a long period.

Between porsche projects.

[webrest]

Hi Vas,

I actually spent quite a lot of time looking for one of these with an old customer/friend 9 or 10 years ago.

We traveled to Sydney and further north, taking in Canberra on the way back if memory serves me well.

We looked at several but they were all absolute crap.

The sellers were convinced that they had restored them but generally they had just thrown a can of house paint at them. Absolute rubbish.

The trouble is those involved with them had a different mindset to the general restoration of a classic as we would know it.

I'm sure the Sydney car in the add is a pretty good example but who the heck is going to pay 34K. Ah, who am I kidding someone will, it's Sydney after all but it is still unrealistic.

John my friend did eventually get one from down around the Mornington Penninsula which wasn't too bad but realistically it did need a fair bit of work.

Good luck with your search I agree that they are a knockout as well, but then again I lust after a Citroen DS.

I also fall victim to folly at times. A crazy weakness/obsession a year or so ago was that I had to have a Vespa scooter. I got one, an immaculate '63 VBB the classic rounded shape one. Great idea at the time and I do love looking at it but unfortunately it doesn't handle the hills around Mt Dandenong like my old Dukes and Guzzi's did. So consequently it has been on display under the open staircase to be on view when the front door is opened. It puts a smile on my dial every time I open the door.

Who cares I still love looking at it.

Dave

PS The Messerschmidt's are bags of fun to tool around in. You live in the flatlands so no problems for you my friend.

Go seek.

[Guest vas930]

Thanks, Dave.

Let me know if you want to sell the 63 Vespa.

[D-banger]

I'm sure the Sydney car in the add is a pretty good example but who the heck is going to pay 34K. Ah, who am I kidding someone will, it's Sydney after all but it is still unrealistic.

I think it's been on the market for quite some time...well there has been a car like that on the CTS website for quite some time

[D-banger]

Thanks, Dave.

Let me know if you want to sell the 63 Vespa.

Dave let me know when you want to sell the Élan

[PeterP]

Hi Vas,

I have seen that car at the CTS in Milsons Point, and whilst its nice,like everything in that place, overpriced. As someone said though; someone will buy it.

Doug, your're right it hs been there for probably 6 months.

Good luck with the search,

cheers,

Peter

[TruthfulLies]

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Q. How do I acquaint how able-bodied a kit car has been assembled?

A. The actuality that a car runs is a acceptable sign. If it does not afresh you may accept a difficult time accepting it running. Attending for the neatness of the base (under the birr is a acceptable abode to look), and the absorption to detail, the actuality of blight is additionally a concern. Try to locate an buyer via a altercation accumulation who can go with you on the analysis appointment or can at atomic attending at the abundant pics you booty and cede an opinion.

Q. I’m attractive at behest on an amiss three-wheeler kit. Any suggestions or warnings?

A. Often amiss kits are offered breadth addition got complex in architecture one and illness, abridgement of absorption or aloof apparent discouragement has led to the kit accumulation actuality abandoned. This can be abounding years afterwards the activity was started and you may be ambidextrous with a about or addition who is not the aboriginal abstracted that bought the kit and started the project. Often the kit architect may no best be in business, the admonition and genitalia may be lost, etc. Unless you are actual accomplished mechanically and accept abutment from added owners with completed cars you are acceptable activity to be reselling this in a brace of years afterwards you get discouraged.

Q. Breadth will I get my three-wheeler serviced?

A. In best cases you will be your own mechanic. This is abnormally accurate if the car is attenuate or there are no added owners in your area. I put calm a kit car afterwards any admonition or accepting a sample to go by and it was difficult. I apparently had several hundred e-mails to added owners all about the apple about what went breadth afore it was assuredly calm and running.

Q. How are these kits accountant and insured?

A. I can allege with ascendancy alone for California. If you accept a three wheeled car in California it is about accountant as a motorcycle. That is how my Grinnall Scorpion was licensed. I insured abundance with Grundy (no commuting allowed) and others accept acclimated AAA or added carriers. Keep in apperception that a motorcycle appellation may acquiesce you admission to afterpiece parking spaces and car basin lane access. If you accept a three wheeled car in California that you accept complete you aboriginal booty all your paperwork (certificate of agent for the kit, bill of auction for agent and any above components, etc.) to the DMV and pay your fees. They will absolute you to the CHP analysis base abreast you. Go to a motorcycle boutique and get your agent certified that the brakes and lights work. Booty that analysis anatomy with the mechanic’s signature to the CHP back you get the analysis and they will verify the consecutive numbers and accord you an OK to acknowledgment to the DMV to get the motorcycle plate. If the car has already been accountant in addition accompaniment or is a assembly vehicle, you should be able to booty absolute paperwork to the DMV afterwards all the analysis steps.

Q. What about a helmet? If it is accountant as a motorcycle don’t I charge to abrasion a helmet?

A. In California there is a allotment of the agent cipher that allows riders in three-wheeled vehicles, to ride afterwards a helmet if the car meets assertive ambit and weight minimums and is “enclosed”. This allows riders of beyond three-wheelers (Scorpion, T-Rex, etc.) to ride afterwards cutting a helmet. Practically speaking best achievement three-wheelers are fast abundant and accept such bordering windshields that to ride afterwards a helmet and eye aegis is foolhardy. If your accompaniment has a austere helmet law and you don’t appeal to use a helmet you will charge to argue the DMV that this is not a motorcycle but a car. The downside of that is that billow analysis standards may be added acrimonious for cars than for motorcycles.

Q. I accept apprehend that a Grinnall Scorpion or a Canadian T-Rex are cool fast? How can they be so quick and bend so well?

A. It is all a amount of the ability to weight arrangement and acceptable annoy sizes. Some of these cartage accept been compared to abundant added big-ticket “Supercars”. The Scorpion I accumulated was beneath 1000 pounds and had a 110HP BMW engine. The 4.5 additional 0-60 time was actual Cobra-like and cornering armament abutting 1G are possible.

Q. Aren’t three wheelers beneath abiding than a 4-wheel vehicle?

A. Agent adherence is a sum of abounding architecture variables. Track, wheelbase, centermost of gravity, and advanced to rear weight administration and tire/wheel combos are aloof a few factors.

Q. What about braking? With 1/4th beneath elastic on the arena it would assume emergency endlessly ability would additionally be less?

A. Back you anchor there is weight alteration that takes abode to the advanced auto of the vehicle. Best manufacturers accept to design-in bargain rear caster braking ability or absolute it via a acclimation device. Back the advanced auto handle best of the braking function, accepting one beneath rear caster is not a above problem. Abounding achievement three-wheelers accept a actual advanced rear annoy to compensate.

Q. Won’t it tip over if I go to fast about a corner?

A. Any car can be accountable to activity up on two auto if the council inputs booty the car over its architecture beginning or there are abeyance or annoy problems. I accept has the amusement of active my Mini-Cooper antagonism auto on two auto on at atomic one above break and several accessory ones. I can’t acclaim this blazon of achievement driving. In my case it was acquired by abeyance camber settings that were adverse with the tires and acquired the car alteration from actuality in a controlled ability accelerate to actuality on two auto with no warning. Best three-wheeler manufacturers try to err on the ancillary of understeer in their designs so the cars tend to accord you admonishing and break back pushed to the limit.

Q. If the 3-wheel blueprint is so great, why don’t racecars use 3 wheels?

A. Absolutely abounding acclaimed racecars accept acclimated 3-wheels, including a cardinal of acreage dispatch almanac cars at Bonneville including the 1st, 2nd and 3rd bearing Spirit of America cars piloted by Craig Breedlove (The best contempo adaptation absolutely has 4 auto but they are still aggressive in a bike pattern). Actually, a actual accepted sports car that was raced abundantly in its day and alike is apparent today in celebrated car contest is the Morgan 3-wheeler.

The acumen that you don’t see antagonism cars with three auto is that best auto antagonism is geared to assembly or assembly attractive cars or rules carefully behest the blueprint for the chic of cars. The above car companies put millions of dollars into allotment the NASCAR banal car and barter antagonism alternation because they appeal that cast identification. This is absolutely appealing crazy back a Chevrolet, Ford or Dodge banal or chase barter car has little in accepted with archetypal that you can buy at a dealer.

Q. Are there any added advantages to a bike design?

A. Accepted aerodynamic attempt behest a cone-shaped or bead appearance to acquiesce the air to reattach afterwards advancing about the rear of the car. This is a difficult architecture to accomplish with a 4-wheel agent afterwards abacus a continued cone-shaped tail.

Q. If a 3-wheel architecture is so great, why haven’t above automakers adopted this configuration?

A. Automakers accept apparent abstraction cars over the years that accept 3 wheels. The 3-wheeled 1983 Lean Machine by General Motors could be apparent in ancestor anatomy and promotional videos at the GM affectation at Disney Apple until about 10 years ago. It seems that automakers examination 3-wheelers periodically to barometer customer acknowledgment and afresh accelerate them off to the barn to delay for a bigger time. Remember that at atomic in the case of US automakers, they absolutely misread the accessible appeal for fuel-efficient cars. If you appointment the freeways of America you see bags of audible occupants sitting in their 4 commuter cartage ashore in freeway traffic. There is activity to be pent-up appeal for this blazon of agent already bodies see their abounding advantages. Accessory automakers like the Trihawk accept fabricated capricious attempts to access the 3-wheel market, but abundant of their efforts were fabricated above-mentioned to our accepted cartage and ammunition amount situations authoritative their offerings added novelties than applied busline vehicles.

Q. Is a small, failing agent safe?

A. Assurance can be looked at several ways. The carpool lane breadth I drive holds a about connected dispatch while the approved lanes are acclaimed for activity 70MPH and afresh stopping. Afterwards cartage lets up, we resume 70MPH clip for a few afar alone to echo the action again. This is chancy active at its worst, with drivers extensive for CD and corpuscle phones end up agronomics into the cars in advanced back the dispatch drops quickly. I anticipate that one’s risks would be a lot lower in the carpool lane breadth the 3-wheeler should be legal.

Another way to attending at assurance is accepting handling, braking and dispatch achievement that helps to save you from an incident. Ultimately, if it comes to a action of weight, any baby agent is at the benevolence of a semi or Lincoln Navigator.

With a two wheeled motorcycle there is vulnerability to a asperous alley surface, debris, ladders, oil, antifreeze or impaired motorists all of which can account a accident of ascendancy and the accompanying alley rash. Also, you accept the audible achievability of hitting article solid, like addition car or k-rail wall, while you are sliding forth on your leathers or actuality run over by the guy afterward too abutting behind.

Q. I accept begin a car in Canada (or Nova Scotia or the UK, etc.) and it looks like a acceptable accord how can I get it home and licensed?

A. Importing a car is no botheration if it is over 25 years old. If it is newer you may hit snags. Three wheelers accept an advantage that they are motorcycles, by best definitions. You can acceptation motorcycle genitalia into the US with little restriction. A completed assemblage may be a botheration because the agent is not US blueprint and billow regs ability appear into play. To jump over the community allotment of things, an acceptation agent is able-bodied account the money spent and usually alone a baby allotment of the car cost. They can additionally advice you with aircraft arrange if that is necessary. Analysis with Aries Global Logistics. They accept helped a cardinal of bodies importing three wheelers. Remember that the aircraft and community costs from the UK for a Scorpion kit is about $4500. This could accomplish an across car beneath of a acceptable accord than a US amid car. Also, a US car ability already be licensed. In some US states to get a car accountant involves a annoying agglomeration of inspections and sign-offs from an analysis center, the Highway Patrol or a badge agency. Your allowance carrier can authority up insuring an actionable agent and that can abode you at accident if annihilation happened to the car afore the authorization is granted. Additionally some states appeal affidavit of allowance afore you are accepted a authorization for a car. It is accessible to get in a catch-22 bearings breadth you can't get the car accountant or insured. These are all affidavit why a three-wheeler car that is already accountant is activity to amount more. Addition has jumped through all the hoops to get the car licensed.

[Guest vas930]

hehe

What the hell!

[webrest]

hehe

What the hell!

I was thinking the same thing

[D-banger]

Seems like a lot of effort to get someone to click on the washing machines link :wacko:

[Chris-p]

Too much time on their hands